the film "average", writing that "the effort of Murugadoss to make a special kind of film is laudable but seems to lack the imagination required to pull off what he set out to achieve". Nowrunning.com rated it 3/5 stating that "a hopeful beginning makes this routine fare an absolute disappointment. This is not a bad film. You just expect better from a director like Murugadoss". Box office 7aum Arivu had a strong opening on 25 October, a day prior to Diwali. The film earned 40.25 crore in its six-day opening weekend from all over the world. In Chennai alone, the film grossed 9 crore in its lifetime. Indian film trades considered the film a commercial success, despite a high budget and distribution price. 7aum Arivu is thought to have grossed an estimated 90 crore–100 crore worldwide in its lifetime. Controversies Some criticism toward the film involved historical inaccuracies pertaining to the character Bodhidharma. According to experts, he had travelled from India to China with the main intention of propagating Buddhism and his portrayal as a man with "medicinal knowledge" and his expertise at "martial arts" were not well received by the viewers who claimed that the film gives too much emphasis on his identity as a Tamilian rather than highlighting the other facts. The film was compared by film historian S. Theodore Baskaran with other Tamil films about history and folklore which had been historically inaccurate like Veerapandiya Kattabomman and Parthiban Kanavu. Babu T. Raghu, a Buddhist teacher, noted in a press conference that the monk was 150 years old when he reached China, while in the film they had depicted him in his 20s. He expressed his desire to debate with the film-makers. Also, He said that he had material evidence to prove it, while sparking off a hunger strike across the country on Bodhidharma's followers. Other sources also reported a similar issue. Later reports claimed that the film was very similar to the game Assassin's Creed. Some were of the opinion that the film and the game were based on the same concept, despite being different in other aspects. The film Velayudham, which had released alongside 7aum Arivu was also compared with the game. The film was sent for CBFC certification with a dummy background score, and the official re-recording happened thereafter, triggering protests demanding re-certification. References External links 2011 films 2011 science fiction action films Martial arts